New television ads encourage more farmworkers to get vaccinated
The California Strawberry Commission has begun airing Public Service Announcements (PSA) on local English and Spanish language television stations to encourage increased farmworker vaccination. The PSA will appear daily, during the evening news on local CBS, FOX, Telemundo, and Univision stations.
The PSA also advises farmworkers who may have received their first vaccine dose, to ask their employer for assistance in scheduling a second dose.
The PSA video can be viewed here:
• English Version
• Spanish Version
The COVID-19 pandemic highlights how farmworkers are essential to maintaining and safeguarding the food supply chain. Since March, the commission has co-sponsored eight vaccine clinics that vaccinated more than 5,000 farmworkers in Santa Cruz and Monterey counties. During this time, vaccinations became available to farmworkers statewide. In some counties, such as Ventura, the County Department of Public Health is organizing both large-scale clinics and mobile pop-up clinics that provide vaccinations at the worksite. Other counties are relying on trade groups and employers to manage the registration process and on-site logistics.
The PSA raises awareness of the importance for the farmworker community to get vaccinated and that employers support their efforts to be vaccinated. The commission started outreach at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic last year to educate their workers about the safety precautions that were needed on the farm, in the workplace and at home. The PSA stresses the importance of getting vaccinated for their safety and those around them.
The California Strawberry Commission represents more than 400 strawberry farmers, shippers, and processors, proudly working together to advance strawberry farming for the future of the land and people. Commission programs create opportunities for success through groundbreaking programs focused on workforce training, strawberry production research, and nutrition research. Through science-based information and education, the commission delivers good news about sustainable farming practices that benefit the health of people, farms, and communities.